Alan Glazen pauses on Waterloo Road in Cleveland's North Collinwood area. The former advertising executive is leading the way in trying to revive the historic area on Cleveland's east side. Lonnie Timmons III, The Plain Dealer

Can one man's vision and determination help turn the lights back on in a faded corner of Cleveland?

Alan Glazen thinks so. And if he has his way, that will be just the beginning. He wants to turn Waterloo Road, a proud but blighted stretch of storefronts on the city's East Side, into Cleveland's premier music and entertainment district -- with concert venues, music stores, restaurants, bars, a bocce court and, hopefully, boutique hotels, grocery stores and more.

The retired advertising executive is the driving force behind Project Light Switch, a loosely formed coalition of business owners who want to bring back to life a once-bustling business corridor in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood.

Their goal is to rally as many committed entrepreneurs and civic leaders as possible to join forces, sweep into the largely boarded-up stretch of storefronts, open several businesses in rapid succession -- simultaneously, if possible -- and reinvigorate a neighborhood long written off to a shadowy fate. Lights-on date is anticipated later this year, "once the three-month delayed streetscape is done," says Glazen.

"It has got all the components there. It's highly compressed, very identifiable, it has a legacy as strong as apple pie," adds Glazen, who has already found success with individual restoration projects such as ABC the Tavern in Ohio City, XYZ the Tavern in the Gordon Square Arts District and the Ontario Street Cafe in downtown Cleveland.

"[Waterloo] has Beachland Ballroom [and Tavern] and three or four other places that have been hanging in there for so long. So with all the young people fleeing the suburbs -- and with Ohio City and Tremont having become so expensive -- I think this is the next big thing."

So far, Glazen's efforts appear to be coalescing.

• Crop Bistro and Bar owner Steve Schimoler and his business partner, Scott Dilyard, have a pending lease on the former Key Bank building on Waterloo from Northeast Shores Development Corp. They are creating a new restaurant and entertainment destination: Crop Rocks and The Vinyl Vault. Brainchild of Schimoler and former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Terry Stewart, the enterprise will include food, a massive library of musical recordings on vinyl and a cooking school where hobbyists and professionals can lead classes.

Former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Terry Stewart is partnering in the project to create, arguably, the nation's largest collection of music on vinyl.

Billy Madansky takes a breather in his restaurant, Blitz BBQ, on Waterloo Road -- across the street from Beachland Ballroom. The restaurant is named in honor of his brother, former drummer for the Dead Boys.Lonnie Timmons III, The Plain Dealer

• Blitz BBQ, owned by Billy Madansky (brother of former Dead Boys drummer Johnny Blitz), had its grand opening across the street from the Beachland on Friday.

• Beachland owner Cindy Barber plans to add a large new patio this spring. Barber also says she's working on a space near the Beachland that showcases musical instruments -- "a place where local instrument makers could sell. I want [Waterloo] to be a real mixed-use area, not just all restaurants," she says.

• A Caribbean-themed restaurant recently opened in the Arts Collinwood cultural arts and education center complex, says executive director Amy Callahan. Its chef, Kelvin Cadiz, named it Callaloo Cafe for a popular Trinidadian dish, slang for "a mixture of things." "Its name is perfect for this neighborhood," says Callahan.

• Glazen and his business partners, the husband-wife team of Randy Kelly and Linda Syrek, have acquired three properties in the neighborhood. One, the former Fotina's Family Restaurant on East 156th Street, is already operating as Chloe's Kitchen Diner, serving casual fare.

The partners have purchased the Harbor Pub at 15617 Waterloo and are in the process of renovations. Like other Glazen projects, it will retain much of its authentic character -- and, though he and his partners haven't settled on a name, "it will be named after one of the railroad drinking joints of old," Glazen says.

Most recently, they've signed a lease allowing them to operate the historic Slovenian Workmen's Hall's separate bar and four-court bocce arena.

"It'll be a cornerstone of our project," Glazen says. "We'll run it, true to form, as an old-fashioned Slovenian place, including the fish fries, with a really good bar and those bocce courts that so many people have fallen in love with."

The bar, which will be refurbished with no significant changes to its look and feel, Glazen adds, will become Waterloo The Tavern.

• A father-son team is in the process of acquiring a location to create a casual food joint.

Cindy Barber, co-owner of Beachland Ballroom, strolls on East 185th street, a popular stretch of Collinwood. She hopes a revival of Waterloo Road will include a range of retail businesses, in addition to restaurants and other night spots.Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

Meanwhile, the overall Collinwood neighborhood is experiencing other new development, says Brian Friedman, executive director of Northeast Shores. Friedman says that while it's too early to talk specifics, he's negotiating with three different individuals to buy or lease spaces on East 185th Street. A comfort food spot, a bistro and a full-service restaurant are under discussion.

In addition to the landmark Beachland, other music venues and retailers have made their homes in the Waterloo area. There's Blue Arrow Records and Boutique, Music Saves and popular niche businesses such as CLE Clothing, R&D Sausage Co. and Cakes By Sweetwater, a wholesale bakery.

Meanwhile, other parts of Collinwood already boast success stories, among them Raddell's Sausage Shop, Archie's Lakeshore Bakery, Bistro 185, the Grovewood Tavern and Scotti's Italian Eatery. The North Collinwood neighborhood extends from Bratenahl to Euclid, north of Interstate 90 to the lakefront.

Glazen's commitment to the largely overlooked area is both sentimental and civic. His father, Martin Glazen, was raised in the neighborhood. (His mother, Selma Weinstock Glazen, grew up in nearby Glenville.) All of Alan Glazen's businesses are located within the city's boundaries, and he expresses strong ambivalence toward suburbia.

"We're in an era of suburban flight," he says over dim sum at Wonton Gourmet in Cleveland's Chinatown. "[Young Clevelanders] especially, they want to live in the neighborhoods their grandparents and great-grandparents grew up in and raise their own kids there and have good places to eat and good schools for their kids.

This is where accordion impresario Frankie Yankovic first learned to polka. It's also mobster Danny Greene's old neighborhood.

Despite its proximity to Bratenahl, the exclusive residential municipality to its west, Collinwood is a blue-collar enclave. Once a booming industrial area that boasted major railroad switching yards, a diverse array of factories and a confluence of cultures -- home to vibrant Irish, Slovenian and Italian communities -- the area was also home to Euclid Beach Park, the long-beloved entertainment destination.

Location is a big part of Glazen's equation.

While Cleveland's urban-revival success stories -- Ohio City, Tremont and Gordon Square -- are all located on the city's near West Side, they represent a trek for suburban East Siders. Collinwood is on Cleveland's East Side, less than nine miles from Public Square and about six miles from University Circle. The neighborhood is an exit ramp away from the Interstate 90 corridor and a short drive from Lake County.

"This has the potential to become the East Side's Tremont," says Michael D. Polensek, Cleveland city councilman for Ward 11. "And we have approximately three miles of lakefront in this ward. Not too many other districts in the city can say that. Waterloo is less than a mile from the lake."

His roots are in Collinwood, Polensek quickly and proudly proclaims. He and his wife, Kathy, live in the area's North Shore neighborhood, where they've raised five children.

"I remember when Tremont was a sad state of affairs -- and the same with Ohio City and Little Italy," Polensek says. "But there were people [in those areas] who had vision and a belief. Not only outsiders, but people within those communities. . . . The same holds true in Waterloo. I'm excited about it."

So is Joe Cimperman, representative for Cleveland City Council Ward 3 in Ohio City, Tremont and part of downtown.

"Waterloo is actually in a better position than we were [on Cleveland's near West Side] when we started a comeback," Cimperman says. "For starters, there's no problem with access in Waterloo; it's pretty easy to get to."

An arts grant that earned Waterloo status as an entertainment district also enables potential restaurateurs more affordable access to liquor licenses. The Ward 3 neighborhoods Cimperman represents had no such advantage.

Callahan of Arts Collinwood says that kind of potential has her staff and others in the Waterloo district hopeful. The arrival of restaurants and other retail will play a big role in revitalizing an area her organization has been a part of for 12 years.

"Obviously, we felt like this neighborhood has huge potential. It has great housing stock and a great mix of people, especially artists who live here," she says.

But critical mass is vital, Callahan adds. For a long time, one new business would open in the area and another would promptly close.

"Alan's approach could create a district full enough to become a destination," she says. "His being able to come in and put the capital into buildings and make them into restaurants has been very important. And his approach in trying to get some established people here is attractive. After all, to businesspeople, there's safety in numbers."

"But I have absolutely no control over this at all," he says. "I can't stop somebody from opening a Subway on Waterloo. If [Glazen] successfully brings five people in, hopefully they'll think it'll be a good investment, and they'll have done their homework. And if it doesn't match the vibe, it's probably not going to do so well."

During a walk through the neighborhood, Polensek says that about $4 million has been committed to structural and cosmetic improvements. (Friedman says the figure is closer to $5.5 million, a combination of federal transportation dollars matched by city funding. Additionally, two arts grants totaling $1.1 million are being invested in the neighborhood.)

Repairs to the roadway and curbs, new, widened sidewalks, public furnishings and other pedestrian-friendly amenities, plus new noise-reduction walls and rebuilding nearby Lakeshore Boulevard, are set to begin this summer.

Schimoler is committing about $150,000 to the Crop Rocks project, primarily for fixtures, furniture and decorative changes. Northeast Shores will invest another $265,000 for structural improvements to the building. Glazen has not indicated how much he has invested in his purchases thus far.

"Five years ago, 10 years ago, people wouldn't even have dreamed of TALKING about this," Polensek says. "Now there are all types of initiatives underway. This is a neighborhood that's going to become a destination."

Other prominent Cleveland chefs recognize the potential in the neighborhood.

Michael Symon says that he and his partners, wife Liz Symon and Doug Petkovic, have discussed possibilities in Waterloo, "but we haven't made any commitments yet." Neither have restaurateurs Rocco Whalen and Jonathon Sawyer, both of whom indicated interest.

Sam McNulty, however, confided that he is actively seeking an address on or around Waterloo.

"I'm definitely interested," says McNulty, who owns Market Garden Brewery, Bier Markt, Bar Cento and other spots in Ohio City. "For years, I've been in the neighborhood for entertainment purposes, and along the way, I often noticed that if a show is late and the kitchen at Beachland is closed, if you're looking for something to eat, there just aren't that many options. That alone makes it an opportunity."

McNulty, who holds studied urban planning at Cleveland State University, believes the all-at-once approach holds great potential as an urban-revitalization model.

"[People] want to live in places that are walkable, bikeable, historic, architecturally interesting, diverse, compelling. Waterloo is all that."

For the project to really succeed, a lot of other pieces will have to come together. Not just the elements needed by guests who come in for a day or evening, but by people who'll work there and, hopefully, live there.

Schimoler believes that a lot of the 40 or so new employees he'll be hiring to work at Crop Rocks will want affordable housing nearby.

"Sure, some will commute, but most of them are likely to be young guys and gals who want to live close to where they work," he says. "And there's a lot of potentially great houses and apartments close by."

Those workers, as well as patrons, will probably welcome other amenities, such as drugstores, laundries and grocery stores, Glazen adds.

Barber would like to see a boutique hotel, a hostel or similar accommodations in the neighborhood. She brings in performers from all over the world. In the past, she has sometimes let them crash in a spare room in her own place.

"My performers could really use rooms close by, rather than have to book a hotel miles away," she says. "A lot of these bands spend a LOT of money when they're here -- buy instruments, you name it -- and it would be nice to see some of that stay in the neighborhood."

Many of the Beachland's patrons who've come to party into the wee hours would gladly book overnight accommodations a short walk, or stagger, from the club, she adds.

Glazen says he'll explore the possibility of establishing a hostel, similar to the Cleveland Hostel in Ohio City, in Waterloo.

"People approach me with good ideas -- I had someone the other day wanting to open a cookie shop -- but we need to get the big pieces in place," he says. "There will be room for more boutiques, that sort of stuff.

"Heck, I want a doughnut place in Waterloo, but a place that makes and sells scratch stuff. Real stuff. The name of the game has got to be 'real.' "

From the outset, Glazen has insisted that his personal initiatives and his civic cheerleading alone won't flip the switch.

"In the end, it's going to be a matter of people willing to have some skin in the game AND recognizing the potential here," Glazen says. That's why Schimoler's involvement is invaluable, he says, for the leadership his risk-taking represents. If a high-profile restaurateur with a track record of success is willing to come in, maybe others will follow.

Schimoler disagrees on only one facet of Glazen's assertion.

"It's no longer a matter of 'if' -- it's a matter of 'when,' " Schimoler says. "And that 'when' is now."

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